The Beatles film: Who is playing John, Ringo, Paul and George?
3 April 2025, 16:57
The line-up for a new series of Beatles biopics has been announced – here's everything we know about the actors playing John, Paul, Ringo and George.
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The rise of The Beatles is being re-told through a series of brand new films directed by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes.
The all-star cast was announced on 1st April 2025, featuring four of the most recognisable men in British film and TV right now.
Across four films officially in production, Paul Mescal will star as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.
But if you don't recognise these actors set to play the Fab Four, we break down who they are, and where you might have seen them before.
Who is Paul Mescal?
Paul Mescal is an Irish actor from Maynooth in North County Kildare, born on 2nd February 1996, making him 29 at the start of 2025.
The rugged star's breakthrough role came in 2020 when he was cast to play swooning student Connell Waldron in the hit BBC miniseries Normal People.
He blew fans away in the leading romantic role alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones and won the hearts of viewers with his flawless performance, along with a BAFTA for Best Actor.
Since the adaptation of Sally Rooney's famous novel, Paul, who played Gaelic football at a high level, has gone on to carve a name out for himself in the acting world.
- Read more: Paul Mescal facts: Normal People and Gladiator 2 actor's age, girlfriend and career revealed
Following a string of impressive roles in Channel 5 thriller The Deceived, psychological drama The Lost Daughter and coming-of-age movie Aftersun, the Oscar-nominee went on to star in God's Creatures and All Of Us Strangers.
He has enjoyed success on the stage too, with theatre roles in Carmen and A Streetcar Named Desire, which bagged him an Olivier Award for Best Actor.
In 2024, Paul shot to superstardom when he appeared in Gladiator II – the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott's iconic 2000 movie.
Who is Joseph Quinn?
Joseph Quinn is an English actor from London, born on 26th January 1996, making him 31 in 2025.
He was born and raised in the capital and attended drama school at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Currently rumoured to be dating singer Doja Cat, he is best known for playing Eddie Munson in the fourth series of Netflix's supernatural hit Stranger Things – but that's not the only huge show the British star has been in.
Joseph played Stark solider Koner in season seven of Game of Thrones, lead role Arthur Havisham in the BBC period drama Dickensian and bank clerk Leonard Bast in the 2017 four-part series Howards End.
He has also appeared on stage, most notably in Wish List, which won him the Manchester Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Studio Production.
Joseph also played Enjolras in the BBC's adaptation of Les Misérables and starred as Tsarevich Pavel in the Sky Atlantic series Catherine the Great.
In 2022, he was named as one of British GQ's Men of the Year Honourees and just two years later starred alongside Paul Mescal as Geta in the action sequel Gladiator II.
Who is Barry Keoghan?
Barry Keoghan is an Irish actor from Dublin, born on 18th October 1992, meaning he will celebrate his 33rd birthday in 2025.
He has fast become one of Ireland's biggest stars after winning a BAFTA, as well as being nominated for an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
The amateur boxer-turned-actor most famously left viewers open-mouthed with his shocking portrayal of Oxford University student Oliver Quick in the psychological black comedy Saltburn.
But Barry began making waves early in his career. In 2011, he starred in Christopher Nolan's hit war flick Dunkirk followed by The Killing of a Sacred Deer in 2017.
He received critical acclaim for his work in the 2019 Irish crime movie Calm with Horses and for his part in the 2021 fantasy flick The Green Knight.
In 2020, he was placed at number 27 on The Irish Times's list of the greatest film actors to come out of the country.
Shortly before his most talked-about role in Saltburn, Barry joined the Marvel world, securing the role of Druig in 2021 film Eternals.
The now-model, who is a brand ambassador for Dior, has also starred in a string of popular TV shows, including Love/Hate, Chernobyl, Top Boy and Masters of the Air.
Who is Harris Dickinson?
Harris Dickinson is an English actor from London, born on 24th June 1996, meaning he will celebrate his 29th birthday in the summer of 2025.
The British star is most famous for his starring role opposite Nicole Kidman in erotic flick Babygirl, in which his performance was described as "magnetic".
As a teenager, the East Londoner dropped out of school aged 17 and almost signed up for the Royal Marines but had a change of heart and returned to the world of theatre.
He was coached at RAW Academy in London and in 2016 was cast as a young man named Frankie from Brooklyn, New York, who struggled with his sexuality.
Harris officially then began his acting career in TV and bagged his debut starring role in Eliza Hittman's 2017 film Beach Rats.
He received praise for his acting abilities, including nominations for an Independent Spirit Award and the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor.
Two years later, he secured the role of John Paul Getty III, the grandson of an American oil tycoon, in TV drama series Trust.
In 2021, he received a BAFTA nomination for starring as Conrad Oxford The King's Man – the third movie in the Kingsman series.
Other notable films of his include Triangle of Sadness, Where the Crawdads Sing, Scrapper and Blitz, along with TV credits in A Murder at the End of the World and The Iron Claw.
